Layered canned pet food

ABSTRACT

Canned pet food products as well as methods of manufacturing or producing same are provided. The pet food comprises a base layer including solid food pieces in a gravy that has a conical recess formed in its upper surface. An upper layer comprising substantially solid foodstuff that can support the base layer when the food product is inverted fills the conical recess.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a canned pet food product whichcontains layers of different appearance and texture. The invention alsorelates to a process for producing the canned pet food product.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Canned pet foods are traditionally available in two forms: meatloafs and chunk-type products The meat loafs are particularly wellknown. They are usually prepared by comminuting raw meat material andmixing it with water, salt, spices, curing agents, gelling agents and,if necessary, fats to provide a batter. The batter is then heated. Theheated batter is then filled into cans to form, after retorting andcooling, a meat loaf.

[0003] These meat loaf products are popular because they are easilymanufactured, readily digested, very palatable to animals, and arereadily formulated to contain necessary nutrients and trace elements.However they are in the form of a uniform, homogeneous mass which lacksthe striated and chunky appearance of meat. This may be a disadvantagefor pet foods since a meat-like appearance can greatly enhance consumeracceptability.

[0004] The chunk-type products overcome this difficulty since they areformulated emulsions which simulate the appearance of meat. One exampleof these formulated emulsions is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,939.The formulated meat emulsion described in the patent is produced byfirst forming a meat emulsion from a meat source. Dry ingredients suchas dry proteinaceous materials (for example wheat gluten and soy flour),vitamins, minerals and the like are then mixed into the meat emulsion toprovide a viscous emulsion. The viscous emulsion is then run through ahigh-speed emulsion mill in which the emulsion is rapidly heated to atemperature in the range of 102° C. to 118° C. The emulsion leaving theemulsion mill is fed to a holding tube where the protein in the emulsioncoagulates to form a solid emulsion product. This solid emulsion productis then cut into chunks. The chunks are highly striated and resemblenatural meat chunks in appearance and texture.

[0005] Another example of these formulated emulsions is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,132,137. However, in this process the viscous emulsionis heated to a temperature of 40 to 70° C. in the emulsion mill; whichis much lower than that in the process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.4,781,939. The heated emulsion takes longer to coagulate and istherefore held in a holding tube for a longer time. The emulsion is thenformed into strands and baked in an oven at a core temperature of 70 to95° C.

[0006] Canned pet food products which are a combination of the meatloafs and the chunk-type products are also known. These products areformed of a matrix of the meat loaf surrounding pieces of formulatedemulsion products.

[0007] However there is a need for canned pet food products which havenew and interesting textures and appearances to further stimulateconsumer interest.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a canned petfood product comprising:

[0009] a base layer comprising solid food pieces in a gravy and having asubstantially conical recess formed into its upper surface, the gravycomprising about 20% to about 40% by weight of the base layer; and

[0010] an upper layer comprising a substantially solid foodstuff capableof supporting the base layer when the pet food product is inverted andfilling the conical recess formed into the base layer, the substantiallysolid foodstuff comprising about 20% to about 80% by weight of the petfood product.

[0011] Often, after opening a can of pet food, the consumer shakes thecontents out into the pet's bowl or dish. Therefore, what was the baselayer becomes the upper layer in the pet's bowl or dish. The consumer istherefore presented with an attractive topping of solid food pieces in agravy above a clearly defined layer of a substantially solid foodstuff,which includes a conical portion extending into the solid food pieces ina gravy.

[0012] The recess into the base layer may extend either partiallythrough the base layer to be conical in shape or entirely through thebase layer to be frusto-conical in shape. The upper layer may include anupper portion above and covering the upper surface of the base layer.

[0013] Preferably, the solid food pieces in the base layer are aformulated emulsion product having the striated appearance of naturalmeat. The formulated emulsion product preferably comprises about 65% toabout 95% by weight of a meat material and about 5% to about 35% byweight of a proteinaceous material. If desired, the formulated emulsionproduct may be in the form of flakes.

[0014] The gravy preferably comprises water and about 2% to about 8% byweight of a starch; for example about 4% by weight of starch. The starchis preferably a heat sensitive starch such that its viscosity increasingproperties are reduced after being heated. In particular, it ispreferred that the gravy has an initial viscosity in the range of about300 to about 800 centipoise prior to retorting of the can but a lowerviscosity after retorting. It is particularly preferred that the gravyhave an initial viscosity of about 350 to about 450 centipoise; forexample about 400 centipoise.

[0015] The base layer preferably has a moisture content of about 60% toabout 70% by weight. It is particularly preferred that the base layerhas a moisture content of about 63% to about 67% by weight; for exampleabout 65% by weight.

[0016] The substantially solid foodstuff is preferably a gelled meatloaf, cooked rice, cooked noodles, or aspic, or mixtures thereof. Theaspic may contain food pieces such as cooked vegetable pieces.

[0017] When the solid foodstuff is a gelled meat loaf, the upper layerpreferably has a moisture content of about 70% to about 85% by weight.

[0018] During filling, the upper layer preferably has a viscosity in therange of about 1800 to about 4000 centipoise.

[0019] In another aspect, this invention provides a process forproducing a canned pet food product having at least two layers, theprocess comprising:

[0020] filling a base layer comprising solid food pieces in a gravy intoa can, the gravy having a viscosity in the range of about 300 to about800 centipoise and forming about 20% to about 40% by weight of the baselayer;

[0021] filling an upper layer into the can, the upper layer comprising asettable foodstuff having a viscosity in the range of about 1800 toabout 2500 centipoise and, upon cooling, forming a substantially solidfoodstuff, the settable foodstuff comprising about 20% to about 80% byweight of upper and base layers;

[0022] sealing and spinning the can for causing the base layer to flowup the sides of the can and forming a substantially conical recess intothe upper surface of the base layer; and

[0023] retorting the sealed can.

[0024] In a yet further aspect, this invention provides a process forproducing a canned pet food product having at least two layers, theprocess comprising:

[0025] filling a base layer comprising solid food pieces in a gravy intoa can, the gravy having a viscosity in the range of about 300 to about800 centipoise and forming about 20% to about 40% by weight of the baselayer;

[0026] spinning the can about a vertical axis for causing the base layerto flow up the sides of the can and forming a substantially conicalrecess into the upper surface of the base layer;

[0027] filling an upper layer into the can, the upper layer comprising asettable foodstuff having a viscosity in the range of about 2500 toabout 4000 centipoise and, upon cooling, forming a substantially solidfoodstuff, the settable foodstuff comprising about 20% to about 80% byweight of upper and base layers;

[0028] sealing the can; and

[0029] retorting the sealed can.

[0030] Preferably the base layer is filled into the can to provide about30% to about 50% by weight of the upper and base layers.

[0031] In a yet further aspect, this invention provides a canned petfood product having at least two layers and produced according to theprocess defined above.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] Embodiments of the invention are now described, by way of exampleonly. To produce the pet food product, a mixture of solid food pieces ina gravy and a settable foodstuff must be separately prepared.

[0033] a) Preparation of the Solid Food Pieces in Gravy

[0034] The mixture of solid food pieces in a gravy may be prepared bysimply mixing together solid pieces of meat or other material, or both,and a gravy. The meat material may be any suitable meat source, forexample, muscular or skeletal meat, meat by-products or a mixture ofmeat and meat by-products. The meat material may be in the form ofchunks or may be in the form of flakes. However, if a meat material isused, it is preferred if the solid food pieces are a formulated emulsionproduct. Solid pieces of other material may also be used; such as cookedrice grains, pasta or noodles, vegetable pieces, and the like.

[0035] If a formulated emulsion product, is used, it may be produced byany suitable procedure, for example the procedures described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 4,781,939 and 5,132,137. In these procedures, a meat materialis formed into a meat emulsion; usually by grinding and then emulsifyingblocks of the meat material. The meat material may be any suitablesource of animal protein; for example the muscular or skeletal meat ofmammals, poultry, and fish or meat by-products such as hearts, liver,kidneys, tongue and the like. The exact composition may be selectedaccording to cost and the desired flavor. The meat material convenientlymay be in frozen form prior to grinding. Alternatively or in addition,the meat material may be in the form of meat meals such as poultry meal,fish meal, red meat meal and mixtures thereof. Again the exactcomposition may be selected according to cost and the desired flavor.Mixtures of any of the above may also be used. The emulsification may becarried out in any suitable equipment.

[0036] Usually a proteinaceous material is added to the emulsion toimprove emulsion stability and binding. The proteinaceous material maybe a vegetable or animal protein source; for example wheat gluten, soyflour, soy protein concentrates, soy protein isolates, egg proteins,whey, casein, etc. The exact choice will depend upon availability, costand palatability. Usually about 5% to about 35% of the proteinaceousmaterial is used.

[0037] If desired or required, fats may be added to the emulsion.Usually the amount of fat in the emulsion must be controlled tofacilitate processing and to obtain an acceptable product. However, themeat material may well contain the desired amount of fats and henceadjustment may not be necessary. Typically at this stage the emulsioncontains a maximum fat level of about 25% by weight. Conveniently, theamount of fat in the emulsion is in the range of about 5% to 15% byweight; more preferably about 7% to about 12% by weight. The mass ratioprotein to fat in the emulsion is preferably about 1:1 to about 7:1. Ifadded, the fats may be any suitable animal fats; for example tallow, ormay be vegetable fats.

[0038] Additional ingredients such as sugars, salts, spices, seasonings,flavoring agents, minerals, and the like may also be added to theemulsion. The amount of additional ingredients used is preferably suchthat they make up about 1% to about 5% by weight of the formulatedemulsion product.

[0039] Water may also be added to provide from about 45% to 80% byweight moisture in the emulsion. If sufficient moisture is present inthe meat material, water need not be added.

[0040] Once mixed, the emulsion is preferably fed through a vacuumstuffer, or similar de-aeration apparatus, to de-aerate the emulsion.This removes air which may otherwise cause disruption of the formulatedemulsion product and reduce its meat-like appearance.

[0041] The emulsion is then fed to an emulsion mill which subjects theemulsion to rapid mechanical heating and shearing. Any suitable emulsionmill may be used, for example the emulsion mill disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 5,132,137. Other suitable emulsion mills are commercially availableunder the trade name of Trigonal and may be obtained from SieferMachinenfabrik GmbH & Co KG, Bahnhofstrasse 114, Postfach 101008,Velbert 1, Germany.

[0042] The temperature of the emulsion is raised to the desiredcoagulation temperature in the emulsion mill in a few seconds. Forexample, the temperature may be raised to from about 100° C. to about120° C. Alternatively, the temperature may be raised to in the range ofabout 45° C. to about 75° C. as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,137.Usually the mechanical energy generated in the emulsion mill will besufficient to heat the emulsion but this may be supplemented by theinjection of superheated steam.

[0043] The heated emulsion leaving the emulsion mill is then transferredto a holding tube. In the holding tube, the heated emulsion coagulateswhile moving slowly along the holding tube. The residence time of theheated emulsion in the holding tube is sufficient for the emulsion tohave coagulated into a firm emulsion product upon reaching the exit ofthe holding tube.

[0044] The firm emulsion product leaving the holding tube is thentransferred to a cutter where it is cut into chunks of size suitable foruse in a pet food. The chunks may be subjected to flaking if desired.

[0045] The gravy or sauce is produced from water, starch and suitableflavoring agents and should comprise about 20% to about 40% by weight ofthe mixture of solid pieces and gravy. The amount of starch used issufficient to provide a gravy with a viscosity of about 300 to about 800centipoise; especially about 400 centipoise. Up to about 8% by weight ofstarch may be used to obtain this viscosity. The starch is preferablysuch that its viscosity increasing properties break down duringretorting of the canned pet food. These starches, which are commonlyknown as modified starches for filling retorted foods, are commerciallyavailable from Staley Manufacturing Company (2200 E. Eldorado Street,Decatur, Ill. 62525, USA) and National Starch and Chemical Company (10Finderne Avenue, Bridgewater, N.J. 08807).

[0046] In place of, or in addition to, the starch, one or more suitablegums may be incorporated into the gravy. Suitable gums arekappa-carrageenan, locust bean gum, guar gum and xanthan gum.

[0047] b) Preparation of the Settable Foodstuff

[0048] When the substantially solid foodstuff is selected to be a gelledmeat loaf, the settable foodstuff is a meat batter. The meat batter maybe prepared by emulsifying a suitable meat material to produce a meatemulsion. The meat material may be any suitable meat source, for exampleas described above. Suitable gelling agents, for example gums such askappa-carrageenan, locust bean gum, guar gum and xanthan gum may beadded to the meat emulsion. Usually no more than about 2% by weight ofgum is needed.

[0049] Additional ingredients such as sugars, salts, spices, seasoningsflavoring agents, minerals, and the like may also be added to the meatemulsion. The amount of additional ingredients used is preferably suchthat they make up about 0.25% to about 5% by weight of the meat batter.

[0050] Water may also be added the meat emulsion to provide from about70% to about 85% by weight. If sufficient moisture is present in themeat material, water need not be added.

[0051] The meat emulsion is then heated to a temperature above about 65°C. in a mixer-cooker. Steam may be injected into the meat batter ifdesired. The heated meat emulsion is then again emulsified to providethe meat batter and the meat batter maintained at a temperature aboveabout 60° C. until needed. At this stage. depending upon the canningprocess, the meat batter has a viscosity in the range of about 1800 toabout 4000 centipoise. These viscosities may be obtained by suitablyaltering the amount or composition of the gum added to the meat batter.

[0052] Alternative, the substantially solid foodstuff may be cooked riceor noodles, or both. In this case, the settable foodstuff may be freshlycooked rice or noodles. Upon cooling, the freshly cooked rice or noodlesform a substantially solid layer. If desired, suitable gelling orthickening agents, for example gums such as kappa-carrageenan, locustbean gum, guar gum and xanthan gum may be added to the rice or noodles.Usually no more than about 2% by weight of gelling or thickening agentis needed.

[0053] Additional ingredients such as sugars, salts, spices, seasonings,flavoring agents, minerals, and the like may also be added to the riceor noodles. The amount of additional ingredients used is preferably suchthat they make up about 0.25% to about 5% by weight of the settablefoodstuff.

[0054] Alternative, the substantially solid foodstuff may be an aspic;for example an aspic which contains cooked vegetable pieces. The aspicmay be prepared as is conventional. Additional ingredients such assugars, salts, spices, seasonings, flavoring agents, minerals, and thelike may also be added to aspic. The amount of additional ingredientsused is preferably such that they make up about 0.25% to about 5% byweight of the aspic.

[0055] c) Canning

[0056] The mixture of the solid food pieces and gravy and the settablefoodstuff are then fed to suitable filling machines; one for filling thesolid food pieces and gravy and one for filling the settable foodstuff.For filling the solid food pieces and gravy, a pocket filling isparticularly suitable. Pocket fillers are commercially available; forexample from Luthi Machinery and Engineering Co., Inc (1726 W. 180thStreet, Gardena Calif., 90248, USA), Carruthers Equipment Company (1815N.W. Warrenton Drive, Warrenton, Oreg. 97146, USA) and Zilli & BelliniSPA (Via Benedetta, 85/A, 43100 Parma, Italy). Suitable filling machinesfor filling the settable foodstuff are commercially available from HemaUSA Inc (426 W. Universal Circle, Sandy, Utah 84070. USA), PRC (2582 S.Tejon Street, Englewood, Colo. 80110, USA). During filling, the settablefoodstuff should be maintained at a temperature or conditions to preventgelling or setting.

[0057] A metered amount of the mixture of the solid food pieces andgravy is fed into each can entering the pocket filler in a defined layercomprising about 20% to about 80% of the volume or weight of theproduct. For example, the layer may make up about 30% to about 70% ofthe volume or weight of the product.

[0058] At this point the can may be spun about a vertical axis to causethe mixture of the solid food pieces and gravy to flow up the sides ofthe can and leave a substantially conical recess into its upper surface.If this is done, the mixture should have a viscosity in the range ofabout 2500 to about 4000 centipoise. Alternatively, the can may be feddirectly to a separate filling machine. If this is done, the mixtureshould have a viscosity in the range of about 1800 to about 2500.

[0059] Once the cans reach the separate filling machine, a meteredamount of the settable foodstuff is then fed onto the mixture of thesolid food pieces and gravy. The can is then sealed. If the can was notspun prior to filling of the settable foodstuff, it is spun at thispoint. This spinning causes the mixture of the solid food pieces andgravy to flow up the sides of the can and leave a substantially conicalrecess into its upper surface. The settable foodstuff fills the conicalrecess as it is formed. Due to the density and viscosity of the mixtureof the solid food pieces and gravy and the density and viscosity of thesettable foodstuff, clear and distinct layers are formed in the candespite the spinning. These layers remain clear and distinct duringseaming of the cans. After it has cooled, the settable foodstuff willform a firm, substantially solid foodstuff.

[0060] The cans are then retorted under conditions sufficient to effectcommercial sterilization in the normal manner. Typically the cans areretorted at a temperature of about 115° C. to about 125° C. for about 30to 100 minutes. During the retorting operation, the starch in the gravypreferably breaks down such that the previously viscous gravy takes onthe appearance of a thin, runny sauce.

[0061] The extent and size of the recess may be readily adjusted byadjusting the rotational speed of the cans during spinning and thelength of time that they are spun. If spun sufficiently fast and longenough, especially if spun prior to filling of the settable foodstuff,the recess may extend entirely through the base layer to take on afrusto-conical shape.

[0062] The cans produced by the process contain a product whichcomprises a lower layer made up of solid pieces of food in a thin sauceand having a substantially conical recess, and an upper layer of asubstantially solid foodstuff. The layers are clear and distinct and theproduct is visually attractive once removed from the can.

EXAMPLE 1

[0063] a) Production of Solid Food Pieces in Gravy

[0064] Blocks of frozen meat made up of beef, pork, poultry, fish andmeat byproducts are cut into pieces of about 10 cm in size and thepieces are then ground in a meat grinder. The ground meat is transferredto a mixer in which it is heated to a temperature of about 0° C. Aftermixing, the ground meat is fed into an emulsifier in which it isemulsified and heated to a temperature of about 20° C. The meat emulsionis then transferred to a mixer. A blend of dry proteinaceous materialmade up of a mixture of wheat gluten, soy flour and soy proteinconcentrate is added. Additives in the form of vitamins, minerals,flavoring agents, sugars and salts are then added. At this stage, theemulsion is made up of about 77% by weight of meat materials, about 21%by weight of the proteinaceous material and about 2% additives. The fatcontent is about 10% by weight and the moisture content is about 55% byweight.

[0065] The emulsion, at a temperature of about 35° C., is then pumped toan emulsion mill in which it is rapidly heated up to a temperature ofabout 107° C. The hot emulsion is ejected from the emulsion mill into aholding tube. The emulsion moves slowly through the holding tube suchthat it is sufficiently cooled and coagulated upon exiting the tube. Thecoagulated product leaving the holding tube is then cut into cubes ofabout 2 cm dimension. The chunks have a highly striated, meat likeappearance. The chunks are then cooled and flaked to produce flakes ofabout 1 to about 2 cm size. The flakes are screened to remove smallfragments.

[0066] A gravy is then prepared by mixing a modified starch, flavoringand coloring agents, and water. The gravy has a viscosity of about 400centipoise. The mixture is heated to about 80° C. and then blended withthe flakes. The gravy provides about 34% by weight of the mixture ofsolid food pieces and gravy. The moisture content is about 65% byweight.

[0067] b) Production of Meat Batter

[0068] Blocks of frozen meat made up of beef, pork, poultry, fish andmeat by-products are cut into pieces of about 10 cm in size and thepieces are then ground in a meat grinder. The ground meat is transferredto a mixer and heated. Vitamins, minerals, flavoring agents, salts andabout 1% by weight of a gum mixture are added. The mixture is heated toabout 75° C. under mixing and maintained at this temperature. The meatbatter has a viscosity of about 3000 centipoise.

[0069] c) Canning

[0070] The mixture of solid food pieces in gravy is transferred to apocket filler obtained from Carruthers Equipment Company and filled intocans. The amount of the mixture of solid food pieces in gravy isselected to provide about 40% of the total product weight in the can.The cans are spun to cause the mixture to flow up the sides of the cansto just below the tops of the cans. The recess formed in the center ofthe mixture extends clear through to the base of the can.

[0071] The cans are then transferred to a filling machine obtained fromPRC. The remaining space in each can is filled with meat emulsion.During transfer to the filling machine, the mixture of solid food piecesand gravy retains it shape.

[0072] The cans are then seamed and retorted. A can is opened and turnedout onto a plate. The product has a clearly defined lower layer made upof meat loaf topped by a layer of meat flakes in a thin sauce. The lowerlayer is frusto-conical in shape and projects to the upper surface ofthe upper layer.

EXAMPLE 2

[0073] A mixture of solid food pieces and gravy is produced as describedin example 1. A meat batter is also produced as described in example 1except that the meat batter has a viscosity of about 2000 centipoise.

[0074] The mixture of solid food pieces in gravy is transferred to apocket filler obtained from Carruthers Equipment Company and filled intocans. The amount of the mixture of solid food pieces in gravy isselected to provide about 40% of the total product weight in the can.

[0075] The cans are then transferred to a filling machine obtained fromPRC. The remaining space in each can is filled with meat emulsion.

[0076] The cans are then seamed and spun to cause the mixture of solidfood pieces and gravy to flow up the sides of the cans and form a recessin the center of the mixture. The cans are then retorted. A can isopened and turned out onto a plate. The product has a clearly definedlower layer made up of meat loaf topped by a layer of meat flakes in athin sauce. The lower layer includes a conical projection which extendsinto the upper layer.

EXAMPLE 3

[0077] The process of example 1 is repeated except that cooked rice issubstituted for the flakes of formulated meat emulsion in the solid foodpieces and gravy. A can of the product is opened and turned out onto aplate. The product has a clearly defined lower layer made up of meatloaf topped by a layer of rice in a thin sauce. The lower layer isfrusto-conical in shape and projects to the upper surface of the upperlayer.

EXAMPLE 4

[0078] The process of example 1 is repeated except that freshly cookedrice is used in place of the meat batter. A can of the product is openedand turned out onto a plate. The product has a clearly defined lowerlayer made up of cooked rice topped by a layer of meat flakes in a thinsauce. The lower layer is frusto-conical in shape and projects to theupper surface of the upper layer.

1. A canned pet food product comprising: a base layer comprising solidfood pieces in a gravy and having a substantially conical recess formedinto its upper surface, the gravy comprising about 20% to about 40% byweight of the base layer; and an upper layer comprising a substantiallysolid foodstuff capable of supporting the base layer when the pet foodproduct is inverted and filling the conical recess formed into the baselayer, the substantially solid foodstuff comprising about 20% to about80% by weight of the pet food product.
 2. A product according to claim 1in which the recess into the base layer extends entirely through thebase layer to be substantially frusto-conical in shape.
 3. A productaccording to claim 1 in which the solid food pieces in the base layerare a formulated emulsion product having the striated appearance ofnatural meat.
 4. A product according to claim 3 in which the formulatedemulsion product is in the form of flakes.
 5. A product according toclaim 1 in which the gravy comprises water and about 2% to about 8% byweight of a heat sensitive starch which undergoes a reduction in itsviscosity increasing properties during heating.
 6. A product accordingto claim 1 in which the base layer has a moisture content of about 60%to about 70% by weight.
 7. A product according to claim 1 in thesubstantially solid foodstuff is a gelled meat loaf, cooked rice, cookednoodles, or aspic, or mixtures thereof.
 8. A product according to claim1 in which the upper layer has a viscosity in the range of about 1800 toabout 4000 centipoise during filing of the upper layer into the can. 9.A process for producing a canned pet food product having at least twolayers, the process comprising: filling a base layer comprising solidfood pieces in a gravy into a can, the gravy having a viscosity in therange of about 300 to about 800 centipoise and forming about 20% toabout 40% by weight of the base layer; filling an upper layer into thecan, the upper layer comprising a settable foodstuff having a viscosityin the range of about 1800 to about 2500 centipoise and, upon cooling,forming a substantially solid foodstuff, the settable foodstuffcomprising about 20% to about 80% by weight of upper and base layers;sealing and spinning the can for causing the base layer to flow up thesides of the can and forming a substantially conical recess into theupper surface of the base layer; and retorting the sealed can.
 10. Aprocess for producing a canned pet food product having at least twolayers, the process comprising: filling a base layer comprising solidfood pieces in a gravy into a can, the gravy having a viscosity in therange of about 300 to about 800 centipoise and forming about 20% toabout 40% of the base layer; spinning the can about a vertical axis forcausing the base layer to flow up the sides of the can and forming asubstantially conical recess into the upper surface of the base layer;filling an upper layer into the can, the upper layer comprising asettable foodstuff having a viscosity in the range of about 2500 toabout 4000 centipoise and, upon cooling, forming a substantially solidfoodstuff, the settable foodstuff comprising about 20% to about 80% byweight of upper and base layers; sealing the can; and retorting thesealed can.